Heatwave
by TheCrowMaiden
Summary: It's a hot summer on the sky islands, and Conis is doing her best to look after people who are suffering from the heat. But she ends up being looked after herself. Conis/Wiper fluff. It's short, and I wrote it because Good ol' Saisai-chan on tumblr adores this pairing. And I've gotten fond of it myself.


The paint was starting to peel on some of the houses, and any dirt bare of vegetation was baked to the consistency of rock. It was the eighth day of the hottest summer that the sky islands had ever had, and the Skypieans and Shandia alike were suffering from the heat. Many residents had taken to combing the seas and beaches for tiny Breath Dials that could store enough air to act as a breeze without causing a disturbance.

Conis dabbed the sweat off her forehead with her handkerchief and fanned herself ineffectually with one of the café's menus, the Breath Dials she owned all too powerful to use in the little establishment. She and Laki had been run off their feet since the warm season had instead started as the uncomfortably-hot-season. Anyone who was forced to be away from home for an extended period of time would drop in at least twice a day for a cold drink.

From behind the counter where she was preparing drinks, Laki passed Conis a cool cloth and picked up a menu to vigorously fan herself. Even the tank tops they wore as their uniform for the café stuck to them unbearably.

"Hot enough for you?"

"More than enough, thank you." Conis put the now-warm cloth back into the bucket of cold water and gathered her hair into a bun, desperate for even the slightest bit of extra air on her neck.

She washed her hands quickly after securing her hair and took the full tray from her friend and dropped them off at the right tables. Her stack of napkins dwindled rapidly as she handed them to people who asked for them and those who looked as if they needed them. She gave the largest glass of juice to her father, who was in the only slightly shaded spot from the café canopy and handed him one of her handkerchiefs rather than a napkin.

Laki put another tray with a few napkins up on the counter and loaded it with several extremely oversized mugs of pumpkin juice that all had a generous amount of ice added.

"Would you do me a favour, and run this out to the God's Guards today?" Laki looked at Conis pleadingly, wiping the sweat from her face. "I can't handle that walk this time."

"Of course, Laki." Conis said, taking the tray with a smile. "I don't mind."

The two of them had been taking turns bringing the men of the God's Guards drinks for the last six days, after Kamakiri had made an offhand comment to Laki about their water going warm even in the shade. Since all of the men were too stubborn and dedicated to take a rest during the heat, the girls had started bringing them cold drinks in the late afternoon after the hottest part of the day had passed to revitalise them.

And Conis really didn't mind. Laki's hair was so dark and thick that she suffered more in the sun than Conis did, so the Skypiean girl didn't mind helping her friend out in the slightest.

The tray was well balanced with big, comfortable handles, but Conis held it tightly as she picked her way through the forest to where the men were. The easiest path was through a part where the trees were still thin from the damage caused by Enel, and there was very little shade to provide relief from the afternoon sun. Conis grimaced when she felt the sweat running down her back between her shoulder blades, and started to walk from one shady patch to the next.

Though she spent less time in the sun, her meandering path began to make Conis feel a little dizzy. She started walking in a straight line again, but the heat was unbearable and she went back to following the patches of shade. After another minute of the dizziness continuing she stopped next to a rock and blinked, trying to clear her head. But the world kept right on spinning, and Conis set the tray down right before the blurred forest went black.

It was dark and cooler, even if it was still too warm, and Conis thought perhaps she had woken up in the middle of the night. Sweat was still trickling down her face to her disgust, and she tried to brush away a drop she felt on the tip of her nose.

All her movement did was make it fall into her mouth though, and she was suddenly surprised rather than disgusted. The sweat tasted like pumpkin juice, and cold pumpkin juice at that.

Conis opened her eyes, and winced from the sunlight filtering through the trees. She was lying on the grass in a patch of shade, and sitting next to her was the head of the God's Guards.

Even in the heat Wiper was still smoking, and as soon as she opened her eyes he put one hand on her shoulder and held her down firmly.

"Don't try and get up yet."

"What happened?" Conis asked, wiping her forehead with her hand and realizing that her entire face was damp and slightly sticky from pumpkin juice. When she made no move to sit up, the Shandia man cautiously let go of her.

"You fainted." Wiper took out his cigarette and stubbed it out on the barrel of his bazooka that was propped up against the tree next to him. Conis had noticed that he usually stopped smoking if he was speaking to her.

'How did you find me?"

"I went to the café when Laki was late. She was there, and said you had gone."

Conis blushed, embarrassed to have collapsed in the heat and probably worried her friend to boot. She went to cover her face with her hands and then made a slight noise of complaint when she remembered how sticky she was.

"Um, why the juice?"

"Because it was the only cold liquid I had. Here."

Wiper poured water from his canteen onto a napkin from her tray and handed it to her. Conis felt better after she cleaned herself up with the warm water, and went to push herself upright. Immediately Wiper leaned forward, but rather than keeping her down he put one arm behind her shoulders and helped her sit up. With his free hand he picked up the only full mug of juice left from where it sat on her tray, and handed it to her.

"Drink slowly," he ordered, keeping her supported, "or you'll go into shock."

Conis sipped the juice meekly, grateful it was still cold even if most of the ice had melted. Wiper's arm at her back was warm, but it was a comforting warmth. She watched him from the corner of her eye while she drank, surprised to see that he had tied his hair back even though he still wore his heavy coat around his waist. He seemed the least bothered by the heat out of everyone in the Upper Yard, and probably even the whole island. Although the longer she stared at him, the more she became convinced that he had a touch of colour in his dark cheeks.

"Does Laki know you found me?" She asked once she finished drinking, realizing with a start that several hours must have passed since she fainted by how low the sun was to the horizon.

"No." Wiper took the mug from her and stuck it in the dirt next to the others. "Aisa will tell her and the others."

"Will Aisa be back before we are?" Conis thought that it would hardly take them an hour to get back, even walking slowly, and the young Shandia girl didn't usually finish work until after dark.

"We're not going back."

"What?!"

Wiper scowled and put his hand on her knee and gripped her shoulders, preventing her from rising. He was gentle for all that he was unmoveable as a tree.

"It's warm enough to sleep outside at night, and you shouldn't be moving around yet."

"Aisa won't get back for hours though! Everyone will be worried!"

"Laki will calm them down." Wiper said with a shrug, seemingly unconcerned. "She knows that you'll be safe with me."

"Yes, but…" Conis trailed off when she saw the way his jaw was set, knowing full well how stubborn he was from when she had tended his wounds. Resigned, she sank back down into his hold and closed her eyes. She _was_ tired.

When she opened her eyes after what she thought was a moment, it was night and she was as muddled as when she had regained consciousness earlier in the afternoon. She was pleasantly warm and comfortable, although she couldn't quite remember why she had fallen asleep sitting up. She pulled the blanket that was draped over her legs higher up, and snuggled into it. The smell was nice, even if it was unfamiliar. It smelled a bit like smoke and the forest.

The comfortable warmth she was leaning into coughed, and after a heart-stopping second Conis remembered what had happened and who she was with.

After blinking a few times her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and looked up at Wiper. Some time after she had fallen asleep he had covered her with his coat and moved her so she was tucked in beside him rather than in front of him. His Burn Bazooka was propped on the shoulder she wasn't on, his hand loosely gripping the handle as if he had fallen asleep ready to fire. His other arm was still protectively around her shoulders.

He had looked after her so carefully in his own brusque way, and she impulsively gave him a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Wiper." She whispered.

She settled back against him, yawning and rearranging his coat so that it covered his lap too. She'd have to ask Laki what Wiper's favourite food was, and invite him down to the café the next time he was free, she thought, looping her arm around his waist so that she could lean into him better. She wanted to thank him properly, after all.

Conis was very nearly asleep again when she thought she felt something brush against her forehead softly.

"You're welcome."


End file.
